Constitution Unites A Divided Nation

September 17, 2012

Try to picture the scene in May of 1787 as delegates from the states of the newly independent United States of America gathered in Philadelphia.

They had planned to reform and strengthen the Articles of Confederation, but they realized more effort would be required.

What they came up with is familiar to most.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

That grouping of words, the foundation of our society, has endured for 225 years.

The United States Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, giving power, structure and form to the national system of government that began with the U.S. Declaration of Independence 11 years before.

The Constitution is not a code. It is not a formula.

It is the embodiment of a spirit, open to interpretation but inviolable so long as there are people with knowledge and an interest in free and open society still alive in the nation.

Though we've entered a period of deep division - right from left, Republican from Democrat - the United States of America was founded on principles that unite us in our hearts.

The Constitution enables a nation to be ruled without being subject to harsh dictatorship, guided without the use of force. The Constitution is flexible enough to meet the needs of a society that could not be recognized by the men who drafted it 225 years ago.

The Constitution gave us the basic freedom to agree or disagree, to share ideas and ideals or reject them, without fear of reprisal, retaliation or imprisonment.

As we go through a time of change nationally, it is important to remember the bedrock of the nation not only on Constitution Day, but every day.